Tapping device.



No. 670,229. Patented Mar; I9|90|. C. HAMMER.

TAPPING DEVICE.

(Application led July 21, 1900.)

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OONRAD HAMMER, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

TAPPING DEVICE.

SPECFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 670,229, dated March19, 1901.

Application filed July 21,1900. Serial No. 24,418. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may conceive,.-

Beit known that I, CONRAD HAMMER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Tapping Devices, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved tapting device principally adaptedfor barrels or kegs containing beer, ale, or other beverages; and themain object of the invention is to arrange the vent-tube upon a separatepart, which will not rotate to wind the rubber or other tubing attachedto the vent around the device, and thus necessitate the detachment ofthe tubing when the tapping device is screwed into a keg or barrel.

It also relates to certain details of construction, all of which will befully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, in which- Y I Figure 1 is a side elevationof my improved tapping device. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectionon line a d, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a top plan View. Fig. 4 is a verticalcentral longitudinal section through the vent-tube. Fig. 5 is a detachedtop plan view of the rubber valve part. Fig. 6 is a section on line o b,Fig. 5.

In referring to the drawings for the details of construction likenumerals designate like parts.

A bushing` 1,of any suitable metal,is screwed into an opening in asuitable portion of a keg or barrel. This bushing is provided with a topflange or shoulder 2 and a central' opening, the upper portion 3 ofwhich is screwthneaded and extends from the top downward to about midwaythe bushing and merges in an intermediate smooth-surfaced portion 4,which in turn enlarges into an annular groove 5. The groove has ahorizontal top wall extending at substantially a right angle to theintermediate opening and a diagonal downwardly and inwardly extendinglower Wall, which terminates in the bottom portion 6 of the centralopening. The bottom portion 6 is formed slightly larger in circumferencethan the intermediate portion 4, so that the top wall of the groove willform a shoulder or stop for a cork or bung, seated in the bottom portionto prevent its withdrawaloutwardly.

The tapping device consists of an upper memberor part 7, a lower memberor part 8, and a vent-supporting member orpart 9, which is litted upon areduced portion of the lower member or part. The upper member 7 has acentral opening 10, an exterior screw-threaded portion 11, and a pair ofturning handles 12. The lower member 8 has an enlarged upperscrew-threaded opening 13, into which the screw-threadedportion 11 ofthe upper mem beris screwed,a reduced portion let, having a reducedcentral opening 15, and a screw-threaded end 16, which screws into thescrew-threaded portion'3 of the bushing, and one or more transverseopenings 17. The vent-supporting member 9 i's tubular in form and has atransversely-extending interiorlyscrew-threaded tubular portion 18, intowhich the vent-tube 19 screws. The vent-tube is provided with a serratedouter end 20, toreceive the end of rubber or other tubing, and anannular groove 21 near itsinuereud, into which the inwardly-extendingflange 22 of a flexible rubber valve part 23 is detachably sprung. Thisrubber valve part 23 is formed substantially as shown in Figs. 5 and 6,having a flat extension 24, provided with an elongated opening 25 and avalve-chamber 26, and is fitted upon the inner end of the vent-tube, soas to act as a one-way valve. The opening in the vent-supporting memberis sufficiently larger than the reduced portion of the lower member toleave an air-conducting space 28 between the exterior of the lowermemberand the interior of the vent-supporting member. Thevent-supporting member is also provided with an annular groove 29, whichregisters with the vent-valve 23 and forms an enlargedair-conductingchamber. The air-conducting space 28 extends nearly theentire length ot' the vent-supporting member and is closed at ing andthe lower edge of the vent-supporting member. A hollow circular ring 35,of rubber or other suitable material, is interposed between the loweredge of the upper member and the bottom wallof the enlargedscrew-threaded opening in the lower member. The lower member is alsoprovided with a pair of lateral projections or turning handles 36. Theupper member has an inwardly-extending flange 14a at its lower end,which is provided with a reduced central opening l5 and forms an annularcompressingshoulder for the hollow circular ring 35. (See Fig. 2.)

The operation of the device is as follows: The bushing l being properlyscrewed into an opening in a keg or barrel, the lower end of the lowermember of the tapping device is screwed into the opening in the bushing.The vent-supporting member remains stationary while the lower member isrotated nearly into place, thereby preventing the winding of the hose orexible tubing connected to the venttube around the tapping device. Thetap is now inserted in the opening in the tapping device, the uppermember is screwed downward sufficiently to contract the ring 35 aroundthe tap, and the tap is driven in, forcing the cork or bung into the kegor barrel.

I claim as my inventionl. A tapping device comprising a lower memberadapted to screw into a keg or barrel, an upper member screwing into theupper end of the lower member and a vent-supporting member looselymounted on the lower member, and adapted to remain stationary when thelower member is screwed into the keg or barrel, and to be tightlysecured in place when the tapping device is screwed firmly in the keg orbarrel.

2. A tapping device comprising a tubular lower member having ascrew-threaded lower end adapted to screwintoa keg or barrel, anenlarged internally-screW-threaded upper end and an intermediate reducedportion, atubular upper member screwing in the interior screw-threadedupper end of the lower member, and a tubular vent-supporting member ofslightly-larger interior circumference than the intermediate reducedportion and fitted upon said reduced portion, substantially as Setforth.

3. A tapping device comprising a tubular main memberadapted lo screwinto a keg or barrel, and having an enlarged upper portion and a reducedportion and a tubular ventsupporting member of slightly-largercircumference than the reduced portion tted upon said reduced portion.

4. A tapping device comprising a tubular main member adapted to screwinto a keg or barrel, and having an enlarged upper portion and a reducedportion, a tubular vent-supporting member of slightly-largercircumference than the reduced portion fitted upon said reduced portion,and packing-rings between the upper end of the vent-supporting memberand the enlarged upper portion of the main member and the lower end ofthe vent-supporting member and the keg or barrel, substantially as setforth.

CONRAD HAMMER. Vitnesses:

L. M. BILLINGS, G. A. NEUBAUER.

